SAN ANTONIO — “Mad Men” is more than a hit with the critics. The show's attention to period detail has had a notable impact on contemporary culture, bringing mid-20th century styles and tastes back into vogue in the 2010s. Here's a look at some of the series' specific areas of influence.

Fashion

With their noticeably slim cut suits and skinny ties, the ad men of “Mad Men” showed their fan base brothers how to look classically stylish and suave.

Even hipsters and millennium males jumped on the dapper Don Draper bandwagon, copying the smart, retro aesthetic accessorized with a peeking pocket square and silver tie bar. It was a winning look put together by the show's costumer Janie Bryant, who, in 2009, designed a Brooks Brothers medium gray sharkskin limited-edition “Mad Men” suit that sold out in days. Bryant also worked with Banana Republic on a “Mad Men”-inspired collection.

“Interestingly, I think that 'Mad Men' impacted the way men dressed more than women,” said Amanda Hallay, professor of costume history at New York's LIM College.

Hallay said American women may have loved the outfits worn by the women of “Mad Men” but did not respond by wearing the styles of Betty, Joan or Peggy because their yesteryear looks lacked today's over-the-top sex appeal.

“Unless you had Joan's body, a tailored, knee-length dress with matching gloves and shoes just didn't read as 'hot' in the mind of the average American woman,” she said.

Cocktails

The resurgence of cocktails in the past decade can be attributed to a series of events, including “Mad Men.” While the show is not solely responsible for the cocktail renaissance, it brought what was happening on the East and West coasts into homes across the country. People who had been ordering cosmopolitans a la “Sex and the City” switched to classic cocktails they'd never tasted, such as the Old-Fashioneds and Manhattans.

“I definitely thank 'Mad Men' for bringing people into this because if Don Draper didn't make that Old-Fashioned, nobody would know what an Old-Fashioned is,” TBA bar manager Johnny Yumol told the Express-News in March.

Drinkers started asking questions about the ingredients in their cocktails and how they were made. They expanded their palates beyond the mass-marketed bourbons and gins to unique, crafted distillates.

The show continues to transport viewers back to a time when business was conducted over a three-martini lunch and it was routine for businessmen to sleep it off in the afternoon. Yes, those were the days.

Home sales

The 1950s and '60s ushered in an era of architectural understatement, where roofs were low and elements such as brick and wood played as prominently indoors as out. Expanses of glass also bring the outdoors in.

“Mad Men” has made it easier to advertise homes from that era, said Liz Chiego, a real estate agent with Phyllis Browning Co. “Then people know exactly what it is.”

Neighborhoods such as Castle Hills, Colonial Hills and Balcones Heights, built during the postwar decades, draw buyers for their proximity to Loop 410. Homeowners then come to appreciate design traits such as openness and honesty, qualities not exactly common in “Mad Men” characters but plainly evident in the show's set design.

Decor

Though friends scoffed at his house two decades ago, Michael Kelley appreciated the sleek styling and rich woods in his mid-century modern home long before “Mad Men” made it cool.

He so appreciated the design of the 1950s and '60s that he opened Mod Pad, now Modmodern, a boutique on Broadway that specializes in furnishings of the era. That's when he heard customers referencing “Mad Men” and became tuned in to the show that shines a spotlight on his favorite era.

“(The show) is very helpful in educating people about the aesthetic of that era,” Kelley said. His customers like darker woods such as walnut or teak that work as transitional pieces with newer purchases.

Kelley came to “Mad Men” late, but he's hooked.

And though he might not be able to re-create the sunken living room from Don and Megan's apartment, Kelley's current mid-century modern house in Colonial Hills does have one piece in common with the Drapers.

“I have the spice rack that's in Don Draper's apartment in my house,” he said.

Music

Chris Cullum programs music that appeals to the “Mad Men” crowd at Tucker's Kozy Korner on the East Side.

“We definitely see an increase on Monday nights as well as Tuesday nights with young hipsters coming out to dig on the jazz,” Cullum said. “It's been popularized by 'Mad Men.' It's definitely made (the music) sexier and shed some light on that style of music.”

Early seasons, especially, were scored with lounge-ready pop and jazz singers swaddled in strings.

Eddie “DJ Plata” Hernandez credits the AMC show, in part, for the resurgence in the interest in the vinyl he spins at places such as Tucker's and Alamo Street Eat Bar.

“They're interested in the '60s now,” he said.

Advertising

In the new season of “Mad Men,” Peggy Olson pushes for what she believes to be the freshest, most effective ad campaign for Accutron watches, even though the boss, who prefers a simpler approach, adamantly resists it.

This sort of conflict is familiar to fans of the '60s drama set in the world of advertising. In episode after episode, Don Draper and his creative team have stood behind pitches they felt best served clients — from Jaguar to Hershey's chocolate — even in the face of strong resistance.

“It reminds us that it takes courage to do the right things for clients, even though the clients may not agree,” said Wood, a loyal viewer of the Sunday night drama. “We see that a lot in 'Mad Men' ... taking strong stands with clients for good, creative and right strategies.”